Enhanced photovoltaic performance of green synthesized Fe3O4 nanostructures embedded in TiO2 photoanode for dye sensitized solar cells

Abstract

This study assessed the influence of incorporating green-synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticle into TiO2 for enhanced photovoltaic performance of photoanode in DSSC. Iron (II, III) Oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle was successfully synthesized using Carica papaya leaves extract. Natural dyes were used as sensitizers along with commercially available Ruthenium dye (N719). The optical absorptions observed between 350 and 600 nm confirmed the formation of Fe3O4 nanoparticle. The XRD patterns showed the crystalline nature of the Fe3O4 nanoparticle with the average crystallite size of 12.16 nm. The morphologies of the samples demonstrated that the Fe3O4 nanoparticle was well-formed and homogeneously dispersed. The EDX spectral of the samples affirmed the presence of iron and other constituent elements. The TEM micrograph also confirmed the formation of nanoparticles with an average size of 13.55 nm and the SAED patterns revealed the crystallographic planes of the samples. The DSSCs performance showed that the efficiencies increased significantly with percentage increase of 75.8%, 80.0%, 92.8% and 89.3% for Vernonia amygdalina, Camellia sinensis, Indigofera tinctoria and Ruthenium dyes, respectively. The high specific surface area, biocompatibility and good dispersion of the green-synthesized Fe3O4 nanoparticle incorporated into the photoanode of DSSC suggested that it is a promising nanomaterial for application in DSSC.